Des Plaines man charged with killing teen

July 31, 2011|By Ryan Haggerty, Tribune reporter

A Des Plaines man was denied bail Saturday after he was charged with killing a 15-year-old boy and wounding another teenager in a shooting that began when a North Side crowd ignored his flashing of a gang sign.

James Galambos, 19, of the 900 block of Beau Drive, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm in the shooting that killed Sergio Torres of Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood. The 15-year-old from Evanston, was shot in the upper torso under his right arm, police said.

The shooting happened July 22 in the 3200 block of West Peterson Avenue. On that afternoon, Galambos encountered a group of people that included Torres and the other victim, according to court documents.

Galambos demanded to know what gang the group's members belonged to and then flashed a gang sign, court documents state. When no one responded, Galambos pulled out a handgun and fired into the group, striking the two teens, according to documents.

Torres was shot in the back and pronounced dead about 30 minutes later at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, police said. The 15-year-old was treated at Saint Francis and released.

Galambos was arrested Thursday at a restaurant in Mount Prospect, according to documents. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to unlawful use of a weapon after he was caught with a knife but later violated his supervision, according to court records.